Gilles Tremblay was a mainstay of Montreal’s contemporary music scene

Gilles Tremblay was a mainstay of Montreal’s contemporary music scene

"Mr. Tremblay was born in the industrial town of Arvida, Que., on Sept. 6, 1932, and died on July 27 at the age of 84, after a series of illnesses."

"Quebec composer Gilles Tremblay grew up in a small town near the Saguenay River and spent much of his adult life near the St. Lawrence. His music was not descriptive in the usual sense, but many of his pieces reflect on his deep relationship with flowing waters and the natural world.

"Mr. Tremblay was a patriarch of Montreal’s contemporary music scene and a tireless guide to generations of younger composers and musicians, including Claude Vivier, Isabelle Panneton and Serge Provost. His celebrated works ranged from his 1967 commission for the Quebec Pavilion at Expo 67; to his 2007 “fairy opera,” L’eau qui danse, la femme qui chante et l’oiseau qui dit la vérité (The water that dances, the woman who sings and the bird that speaks the truth), presented by the Montreal company Chants Libres in 2009 during a year-long celebration of Mr. Tremblay’s work. His Envol, a work for solo flute, was the first music heard at the inaugural concert of Montreal’s orchestral hall, Maison symphonique, in 2011."